


The Road Back to Love

by cellular



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Jealousy, Making Out, Marriage, kinda???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-09-25 22:56:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9850475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cellular/pseuds/cellular
Summary: Marinette and Adrien have trouble with their marriage as the years go on, and they're forced to acknowledge this fact as they confess to each other that their eyes have been wandering.





	1. I Met Someone

It was the first time in four months that they had shared a bed, yet it still had been five since they had made love. It's not like the two had been counting. They were both busy, both having jobs that required them to be out of town often enough that their little moments together were brief and filled with tired, obligated small talk. Gone were the days in which every quick second that they had were spent in each other’s arms, loving each other like a husband and wife should. Gone were the days where the sight of each other after a long day or week or even month of working still filled each other with butterflies despite their exhaustions. Gone were those days when they were still _in love_.

Tonight was one of those rare occurrences in which Adrien and Marinette Agreste were in the same town on the same night with both having no work to do. Just a year and a half prior, they would have been giddy with excitement to spend just a night together, to be able to take as long as they wanted, to love each other with all that they could.

But now they sat side by side on their shared bed, with almost a foot of space in between them. They were silent, each slowly beginning to wonder when it became so hard to create conversation with their spouse. They both racked their minds through the past two weeks, searching for something to end their awkward silence with the practical stranger that sat next to them.

“I met someone.”

Marinette doesn't know why she chose this, of all the topics that she could have picked, to talk about.

Adrien froze at his wife’s words.

“Oh?”

“His name is Nathanaël.”

She couldn't stop the words that tumbled out of her mouth. Why was she doing this?

“He's a year younger than us, and he's an art professor in the university downtown,” she continued to speak in her husband’s silence.

Marinette thought of the man that she had met in the local library last weekend. She was in the middle of researching for a historically inspired fall collection that she was working on, and Nathanaël was quietly picking out books to recommend to his students when Marinette caught his eye. He made the move to approach her, flirting as he handsomely smiled at the pretty woman. Marinette made no attempt to stop him as he complimented her and found small ways to touch her as he made conversation. She found that she liked Nathanaël’s dimples that appeared when he smiled, his kind blue eyes that sparkled when he talked to her, and his fluffy red hair that bounced up and down when he laughed at her jokes. Before she knew it, she had been talking to Nathanaël for three hours, her research forgotten as feelings erupted in her chest that she had not felt in a long time. As she exchanged numbers with the man at the end of the day, she only distantly felt the shameful self-awareness that she was a married woman flirting with another man.

And she didn't know why she was telling her husband about him.

Adrien didn't know how to respond as he felt the slow stirrings of jealousy in the pit of his stomach. What did she mean by _met_? Surely not what he thought she meant? Still, Adrien couldn't help but guiltily speak up as well.

“I met someone, too.”

Marinette’s breath hitched, but she hid it well.

“Did you?”

“Her name is Lila, and I sat next to her on the train back to Paris last week.”

Adrien thought of the gorgeous, chestnut haired woman that he talked with the whole four hours that he spent sitting beside her. She was bright, energetic, and full of life as she told stories that made him roar with laughter. Her smile made him never want to stop complimenting her, and her laugh made him keep telling her about the foolish mistakes he'd made throughout his life. He didn't stop her as she touched his arm and slid close enough to him so that the whole side of her leg was pressed against his. The way that she looked at him made him feel in ways that he hadn't felt in a long time.  As they exchanged numbers before they parted ways, Adrien only barely felt the nagging guilt that tugged on the back of his mind.

Marinette stayed silent, just as her husband did only minutes before, as jealously quietly pierced through her heart. When had their marriage come to this? They used to be madly in love, spending the time that they had together with smiles and laughs and kisses that curled her toes up. Now they were speaking of meeting other people, of their roads to infidelity, of their unhappiness with what they had. How did they drift so far apart?

The two stewed in their silence as they mulled over the state of their marriage. It had been three years since they had been married, six since they had gotten together in university, and twelve since they had met in their teenaged years. They had been so happy together, and they had loved each other so much. Perhaps it was the amount of time that they spent apart?

No matter the cause of their failing marriage, the two, in their independent thought processes, both decided at nearly the exact same time that things had to change, that they had to fix what they had.

“Adrien?”

“Yes, Marinette?”

“Do you remember that old TV set that my dad used to always try to fix up?”

Adrien chuckled. “Yeah, and we’d always try to buy a new one for him, but he'd never accept it.”

“He always said that he could never throw something away that was broken, that it was right to always try to fix it. He said that the only reason that people buy new things is because it's easier than trying to fix the broken thing.”

Marinette looked down at her fiddling hands.

“And then he would quote Dumbledore, saying that the easier way isn't always the right way,” Adrien said, finishing the story for his wife.

There was a pause before Marinette spoke up again.

“Is that what we’re doing? Throwing away what we have because it's just easier to find new people?”

Adrien took a moment, struggling to find the right words.

“I… yes,” Adrien sighed. “That's exactly what we’re doing.”

There was another, small silence before he spoke again.

“I still love you, Marinette. I care for you.”

Marinette bit out a sarcastic laugh.

“Of course you do. You're attached to me. We’ve practically spent our entire lives together, working together and fighting together. I'd be concerned if you _didn't_ care. But people can be attached to anything, even a stupid TV set.”

Adrien sighed and buried his face in his hands before shifting his whole body to face his wife. He sat crossed legged on the bed, waiting for her to look back at him, but she only stared straight ahead at the dark screen of their television.

“Hey,” he gently prodded, placing his hands on her shoulder to slowly turn her towards him. “Look at me.”

Marinette quietly met his deep, green eyes, the ones that used to fill her with pangs of love in her heart. She remembered the first time that she looked into them, the result of her clumsiness as they were tangled in the ropes of her yo-yo. That seemed so impossibly long ago, back when they were still Ladybug and Chat Noir. Where did all that time go? Nevertheless, Adrien’s eyes still looked as beautiful as they did twelve years ago, if not slightly more tired and aged.

“I love you, Marinette.”

His eyes roamed the whole of her face as he willed his emotions to carry through the declaration. His hands trailed down from her shoulders to lightly grasp her hands, slowly moving them within his.

Her lips parted as she felt the tenderness of the words that she, only seconds ago, thought were no longer genuine, not in the way that made her heart flutter. She searched his face, looking for any sign of insincerity. She found none.

“We will fix this,” Adrien continued. “And it won't be easy, but we will do our best. Because if there's anything in this world that's worth the fight, it's us.”

Marinette stared at her husband with wide eyes, soaking in all that he said. It took a short moment before she broke the silence with a little laugh of… of what? Relief? Happiness? She fell forward, resting her forehead on his chest as she smiled lightly.

“When did you become so good with words, kitty?” she wondered aloud, using her old pet name for him.

Adrien laughed before gently pushing her off of his chest to look into her eyes, a wet layer of tears blanketing the cool, baby blue color.

“What can I say? You bring out the best in me,” he said, smiling his first genuine smile towards his wife for the first time in ages.

Marinette’s hand traveled up to cup the side of her husband’s face, slowly caressing his cheekbone with the pad of her thumb as his smile slowly faded into a peaceful stare. She had forgotten how handsome her husband was, how he made her heart beat faster in the best ways. She was glad to finally be reminded.

“I love you, too, Adrien. And we will fix this. We will fix _us_.”

His lips caught hers as they met halfway, sinking into each others' sweet tastes. Her hands moved to grasp the back of his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. It had been so long since he had kissed her like this, kissed her in a way that was not just obligated pecks of greetings and goodbyes. He groaned into the kiss as she turned her head to deepen it, her own soft sounds of content emitting from the back of her throat.

And it was now, with the two in each others' arms, that all was right again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aghhh, i'm so excited to finally be able to finish a fic for this fandom! i've tried so many times but none of my ideas have taken hold, but for some reason, this one did. it kind of feels awkward though, because this story might not fit the characterizations of Marinette and Adrien, but for some reason this idea really got me writing. this fanfic was partly, very lowkey inspired by The 12th Kiss by enterintomymind on wattpad (which you should definitely check out!)


	2. The Best In Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is blessed with meeting Marinette's "other man." (adrien gets jealous lol)

The two decided to spend time off from their jobs. Not long: maybe a week and a half. They never took vacation days anyway. They spent the time getting to know each other again, in a sort of renewed honeymoon phase. They danced around each other, giddily flirting, unable to be apart for just a minute. In some ways, it reminded them of the times shortly after the day that they revealed their identities to one another, the times filled with sweet, joyful, and playful love. The reminiscent feelings alone were powerful enough to cause the two to begin to fall in love all over again.

 

It was the third night of their break that they were in the middle of Paris, re-exploring the city that they knew oh-so-well, walking hand in hand after having dinner in a quaint little restaurant.

 

“Wait, stay here,” Adrien said suddenly, leading Marinette to a bench before letting go of her hand. “I'll be back in a minute.”

 

He ran off with a small smirk at the edge of his mouth as he disappeared around a corner. Marinette rolled her eyes and smiled to herself, occupying herself with looking at her surroundings. She was in a small square, surrounded by brick buildings that housed boutiques, bakeries, and quiet apartments. Trees that were strung with yellow fairy lights were found every ten feet, twinkling in the dark night. Marinette sighed as she clicked her heels on the cobblestone ground, content as she waited for Adrien to come back.

 

“Marinette?” a familiar voice questioned from behind her.

 

In surprise, Marinette jerked up her head and turned around.

 

“Nathanaël?” she asked, her pink lips forming an O shape.

 

The tall, red-headed man chuckled before sitting down next to the woman, pressing himself against her side.

 

“You look so cute like that,” he commented, causing a faint blush to appear on Marinette’s cheeks.

 

She decided that it was best to stay quiet as she inconspicuously shifted away from him.

 

“So… you never answered my texts,” Nathanaël finally said, his voice casual.

 

“Oh, um, well,” Marinette began, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked at Nathanaël’s expectant face. “You see… I-”

 

“Who's this?” Adrien’s voice asked from above.

 

Marinette’s head shot up, eyes meeting her husband’s as her face formed a smile that portrayed her guilt and the awkwardness of the situation. She let out a tense laugh, scratching the side of her neck before she spoke.

 

“Adrien…”

 

“My name is Nathanaël,” the man said, rising to his full height to introduce himself. He was pleasantly surprised to find that he was at least a half of an inch taller than the fellow that Marinette had called _Adrien_. His hand stretched out to shake Adrien’s before realizing that the other man’s hands were full with a pair of ice cream cones. Nathanaël awkwardly stuffed his fists into his pants’ pockets before forcing out a grimace-like smile.

 

Upon hearing the other man’s name, Adrien’s already hard face stoned even further as a rush of hot blood flooded through his head. He took a small breath before turning to deliver one of the cones to Marinette. She stood up, taking it into her hands, as she beamed at her husband.

 

“Is strawberry banana still your favorite?” Adrien asked, eyebrow raised.

 

Actually, it wasn't, but Marinette wasn't going to let her husband be embarrassed in front of another man, especially one that she flirted with behind his back, so she just nodded and placed a quick kiss on her husband’s cheek in thanks.

 

“Nathanaël, this is Adrien, my… my husband, and Nathanaël, uh, yeah, this is Adrien,” she introduced the two before taking a lick of the ice cream to distract herself from the tension in the air.

 

“Your… your husband? Oh… I wasn't... I wasn't aware that you were married,” Nathanaël said, his voice suddenly becoming small.

 

Adrien remembered the words that Marinette had spoken four nights before. _I met someone. His name is Nathanaël_. The feeling of jealously pooled out through his eyes as he grit his teeth and glared daggers into the other man. Still, he put on a front as he forced a smile and held his hand out for the other man to shake.

 

“Nice to meet you,” Adrien ground out, gripping Nathanaël’s lanky fingers.

 

“Right,” Nathanaël said as he started to turn away. “Well, I've got to go. I'll see you around, Marinette.”

 

Nathanaël walked away, hands stuffed into his pocket again. Adrien’s hand reached for Marinette’s as they watched his lean frame trudge off.

 

“You're hot when you're jealous, you know that?” Marinette commented, a mischievous smirk at her lips.

 

Adrien looked down at his wife, his eyebrows raised in bafflement. She laughed at him and led him down the street, their shoulders bumping into each other as they walked.

 

“You little... When did you become so coy?” Adrien asked, smiling lovingly at his wife.

  
“Oh, you know, you just bring out the best in me,” she stated before burying herself into the ice cream again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wooo, another little part in this universe! i love writing this falling-back-into-love story and i'm thinking about writing other pieces in this universe but i'm not totally sure if i'm into that idea (although i'd really love to)  
> please comment! i'd like to hear your opinions on the story, on my writing style/quality, or on whatever.


	3. Let's Take A Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette slowly begin their road back to love on the morning after their night of confessions and realizations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! i've decided that this work is going to continue as little snippets of the journey as adrinette fall back in love. it's going to be in no particular order, and i'll say at the beginning of the chapter when it takes place. this one takes place the morning after the first chapter!

“Let’s take a break,” Adrien suggested, flipping over the eggs that were frying on the pan.

Marinette raised her eyebrows at her husband. He looked outrageous as made breakfast for the two of them, sporting a red and pink apron over his flimsy t-shirt and soft pajama bottoms. His feet were adorned with pink, fluffy bunny slippers, and his hair was still a complete mess, but, somehow, that man made it work.

“A break?” Marinette repeated, elbow propped on the wooden table to support her head. She was wearing Adrien’s shirt, the one that he had been wearing last night, before they had removed each other’s clothings for the first time in five months. She had also pulled on a pair of pink cotton shorts and a creamy knit cardigan to battle the morning chill, and her hair was tied up in a messy bun that flopped around as she turned her head to watch her husband scurry around the kitchen.

“Yeah!” her husband exclaimed as he turned around to plate the cooked eggs. He filled the dishes up with sausages, roasted potatoes, and pieces of toast before setting them on the table. After untying his apron and hanging it up on a hook, Adrien plopped down into the seat across from his wife and gave her a soft look.

“A vacation, just so that we can have some time for ourselves, so that we can figure everything out,” he said, a small smile stretching the edges of his lips.

Marinette took her fork and prodded at her food as she spoke.

“For how long?” she asked before stuffing her mouth with the potatoes.

“I don’t know. For however long it takes us, I guess,” Adrien said, shrugging.

Marinette scoffed and shook her head. “I have a fashion show in two weeks, and we still have so much preparation to do. All the pieces are finished, but they haven’t been shipped to Milan yet, and the team needs me there to fix up any mistakes, and I have to make sure that they fit the models, and-”

“Mari,” Adrien’s gentle voice interrupted. She looked up into his pleading eyes.

Marinette sighed and gave Adrien a soft laugh.

“Fine, okay, we’ll take a little break.”

A celebratory grin stretched across Adrien’s cheeks.

“But,” Marinette said. “Only for a week, maybe a little bit more. Then, we’ll go back to work.”

“So that gives us… about a week and a half to fall in love again,” Adrien playfully stated, raising his eyebrows as he popped a piece of toast into his mouth.

Marinette gave her husband an quizzical look. “What?”

Adrien let out a laugh before explaining himself.

“We have a long way to go, Mari. I know that we resolved at least some of our issues last night, but we have to make sure that this never happens again, that no matter how long we are away from each other and how little time we are able spend together, we remember our feelings for each other and remember that we are the only ones for each other. We have to set _us_ in order before we get thrown back into the chaos of our worklives. _Therefore_ , we have just about a week and a half to fall back in love.”

Marinette stared at her husband in shock, stunned as his words swirled around her head.

“Think we can do it?” Adrien hopefully asked, his fingers reaching over to grasp his wife’s hand.

Marinette let out a small breath of air before suddenly sitting up straighter, extending her arm to hold Adrien’s other hand.

“Yes,” she declared. “We’ve been through the most grueling times together, been there for each other for over twelve years. We’ve fought side by side countless times, trusting each other with our lives. We’ve endured through so many of the worst things that life has to offer, and we did it hand-in-hand, even before we made our vows to do so.  It’s going to be hard, but we can work up to that again. Like you said, if there’s anything worth the fight, it’s us.”

Adrien couldn’t help the full-blown grin that spread from his lips as he lovingly squeezed Marinette’s hands with excitement.

“Alright!” Adrien exclaimed, taking his hands away and pumping his fists in the air. “We’ll just finish up breakfast, call into work, clean up, have a fresh new start… Should I take you out tonight? For lunch? What did we used to do for our dates, Mari? Did we even have dates? Or did we just fight akumas all the time?”

Marinette smiled as she watched Adrien ramble on, a new and reviving energy surrounding him. She rested her head in her hand, quietly listening to his words, as she slowly felt in her heart that everything was going to be all right.


	4. The Only Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place before the first chapter. Alya, Nino, and even Chloe notice that Marinette and Adrien's marriage is going downhill, though they were never told anything.

Adrien and Marinette never talked about what had happened between them, their slowly falling apart after months upon months of being apart from one another, to anyone else but themselves.

But that didn’t mean that no one noticed.

Alya noticed in the ways that Marinette grew silent whenever she brought up the topic of relationships, whenever Alya would mention some weird quirk in her and Nino’s marriage, and Marinette would just laugh and not counter with her own anecdote. She noticed it in the way that Marinette barely spoke of Adrien, and whenever the whereabouts of her husband was mentioned, she would shrug and change the subject.

Nino noticed in the way that Adrien never mentioned his beloved wife anymore, in the way that Nino no longer heard about the strange stories and silly antics of the two’s formerly vibrant marriage. Nino noticed it in the way that Adrien’s face hardened when the subject of Marinette was brought up, and in the way that he almost convincingly brushed off the topic in the most nonchalant ways possible.

 _Chloe_ noticed it in the way that Marinette no longer had that obnoxious skip in her step, the one that always made her tick because she knew that Marinette had something that Chloe was yet to find. And although the thought made of Marinette’s happiness being slowly depleted initially caused a vicious glee to erupt in Chloe’s guts, it soon became too depressing for the blonde woman to bear.

“Marinette, what’s up with you and Adrien?” she casually asked as she handed a folder of fabric swatches over to the blue-haired fashion designer.

“W-what?” Marinette questioned, the shock evident in her face as she absentmindedly grabbed the folder from Chloe’s hands.

Over the years, as Marinette got to know Chloe as more than just the rich mayor’s bully daughter, she grew to be… uncomfortably fond of the woman. She had made a fine partner as Queen Bee, proving herself to be much more competent than anyone ever gave her credit for. Her attitude, however, only barely changed, becoming only slightly more tolerable rather than the complete awfulness of her early teenage years. Still, Chloe, at times, could be understanding and helpful in the most refreshingly cynical ways possible. That’s why Marinette agreed to become her partner in creating their own clothing company, one that grew to be one of the best in Europe, thanks to her and Chloe’s surprisingly compatible partnership skills.

“I haven’t seen Adrien in a while… He’s been in and out of Paris too much, and so have we. How are you guys holding up, then?” Chloe continued, pretending to have no interest other than creating small talk.

Marinette hesitated, still in slight shock at Chloe’s sudden questioning. How _was_ she and Adrien doing? They hadn’t had sex in months, and they only ever spoke to each other in little snippets of conversation that she barely even paid attention to. She’d ever only allowed herself a minute of two of reflection on the state of their marriage, only to dismiss the subject, telling herself that she’ll figure it out later. After all, she had so much to do with work, and so did Adrien.

Still, she knew in the back of her mind that something was wrong and that something had to be fixed, but she just didn’t know _how_.

“Good,” she lied, tucking the folder into her elbow. “We’ve never been better.”

Chloe raised a disbelieving eyebrow. “Right.”

“No, really! It’s like all this time away gives us, like, a strong passion for each other, so we’re just, like, having sex every moment that we get… like, it’s crazy how we just, like, _pounce_ on each other, you know?”

What the hell was Marinette saying? She didn’t know. She didn’t even know _why_ she was trying so hard to lie to Chloe, and she didn’t even know why she chose to talk about her and Adrien’s _sex life_ of all the things that she could have chosen to ramble on about.

Maybe it was because it was one of the more apparent things that her body missed.

Marinette internally shook her head to get rid of her thoughts as her face turned as red as the hair on that cute guy she had met at the library on Saturday. She quickly put on a fake smile and stood a little straighter, hoping that she looked convincingly happy with her marriage.

Chloe scrunched up her face as she stepped back from her business partner.

“ _Right_. If you _insist_. I’m sorry I asked,” Chloe muttered, rolling her eyes before strolling away.

And so, Chloe concluded that something _was_ wrong, and that she had to fix it. Not to be nice, of course. She couldn’t care less about Marinette’s or Adrien’s feelings. She just couldn’t stand the bad aura that Marinette carried around her. It messed up her vibes, you know? She was in a good mood, and Marinette was ruining it. That’s the only reason why she was going to make things right again. The _only_ reason.

At least that’s what Chloe told herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooo, perhaps chloe, alya and nino will team up to help fix their marriage? even though they are already working on it themselves? how fun :DD  
> i'm also really happy right now because i haven't creatively written in such a long time, like in almost a year and a half. i can't believe such a trash story idea is making me write so much :')  
> anyway, thank you for reading <3 please comment! it can be about anything! the story itself, your fave ships, your day, your pets, maybe even global warming ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ i'm lonely lol


	5. Message from Lila

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette's jealousy is like a lightning bolt, striking once, but leaving a strong and undeniable presence in her wake.  
> This chapter takes place on the early, early morning after their night of confessions and realizations, AKA before Chapter 3.

Marinette opened her eyes as the soft sunlight shined through the white blinds, illuminating the room and giving her a strange, rejuvenating energy, one that made her feel internally warm and at peace. She lazily rubbed her face into her pillow before turning over, deciding that she deserved a few more minutes of dozing. Her hand shifted to cradle her head as she mo-

_Wait._

What was that?

Marinette froze, her heart stopping and breath stilling before she quickly pulled her hand back from something smooth and warm, something feeling an awful lot like bare skin. She suddenly was aware that she was completely naked under her covers, not one garment of clothing on her body as she guessed the same to be true for the other person in her bed. She fearfully kept her eyes shut and buried into her pillow, her pulse racing high as her mind frantically flipped through the memories of last night. Who could it have been? She hadn’t shared a bed with anyone for-

Oh.

 _Oh_.

Marinette slowly removed her face from her pillow as she gradually cracked open her eyes. Her husband, the one that she had barely seen for the past few months, slept soundly on his pillow, the faintest snores coming out of his open mouth. His boyishly handsome face was completely relaxed in his slumber, and his golden hair was perfectly tousled around his head, almost like a peaceful angel with its bright, floating halo.

A gentle smile found its way to Marinette’s lips as she watched Adrien’s bare chest rise up and down as he slowly inhaled and exhaled, his body fully at ease. As she took in, _really_ took in, the beautiful sight of her husband for the first time in… she couldn’t even remember how long, she thought back to the words exchanged the night before, to the promises that they made to each other. _We will fix this. And it won't be easy, but we will do our best. Because if there's anything in this world that's worth the fight, it's us_.

Marinette faintly sighed before closing her eyes again. She hoped those words were true; she hoped with all of her heart. She missed the old times, the way that they loved each other and the way that they would never even think of giving each other up. She got a glimpse of those feelings again last night, but she knew in her heart that she and Adrien were a long way from going back to what they used to be.

A quiet buzz pulled Marinette away from her thoughts. It was Adrien’s phone, resting on the night table on his side of the bed. She was prepared to ignore it until two more buzzes sounded consecutively, and her curiosity got the best of her. Marinette slowly and carefully slipped out of the bed, her feet gently touching the ground in muffled silence. She picked up Adrien’s shirt off of the floor, one of the many pieces of clothing that were strewn across the room, and threw it over her head, deeming it enough to cover herself for now. Tiptoeing around the bed, she reached the phone just as it buzzed again.

Marinette picked up the device, cased in a metallic black, and read the notifications on the screen.

**Message from Father (Friday, 10:52 PM)**

**Message from Nino (Friday, 11:36 PM)**

**Message from Lila (Saturday, 1:12 AM)**

**Message from Father (Saturday, 8:11 AM)**

**Message from Lila (Saturday, 8:13 AM)**

**Message from Lila (Saturday, 8:13 AM)**

**Message from Lila (Saturday, 8:14 AM)**

Marinette’s face soured almost immediately after seeing the amount of text messages from Lila. How often did she and Adrien talk? Her eyes guiltily drifted back to her own phone that laid on her night stand. Probably as often as she talked to Nathanaël.

Another notification buzzed through the phone, causing yet another flag with Lila’s name to pop up. Marinette glanced over at Adrien’s sleeping figure, hesitating only for a second before swiping her finger across. She silently thanked the universe that Adrien had kept the same passcode for the past eight years. Immediately, his conversation with Lila showed up onto the screen, causing an involuntary frown to occupy Marinette’s expression.

**Lila (1:12 AM): ugh i just had the most suckish night ever**

**Lila (8:13 AM): good motorcycle, handsome :)**

**Lila (8:13 AM): *morning**

**Lila (8:14 AM): autocorrect can be so weird sometimes :P anyway, how was your night? you must’ve had an exciting one if you still aren’t up yet hehe**

**Lila (8:16 AM): oh, btw, what do you think of my outfit for today? is it too much for just brunch?**

Marinette’s eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the phone, a picture of the woman filling the whole screen. She was incredibly beautiful, with chic bangs and mysterious olive eyes. She pouted as she took the mirror selfie, showcasing her shapely assets in a tasteful orange romper, matched with a silver statement necklace and chunky white wedges. As a fashion designer, Marinette could appreciate the other woman’s style, but as the wife of the other woman’s target of flirtation, she scorned every aspect of her.

Marinette scrolled up in the conversation, reading the previous messages that were exchanged between Adrien and Lila. She found what seemed like an endless amount of winky faces, flattering pictures of Lila’s outfits of the day, and even some charming selfies of Adrien in the mix. And the two had talked about everything, apparently. They talked about Lila’s home in Italy, traveling around the world, work, friends, pets, and even about what types of cheeses taste best in sandwiches, everything except for the fact that _Adrien had a wife_. As Marinette skimmed through the conversations, she nearly drowned in her jealousy and anger. How had she let them come to this? How had she let her and Adrien drift so far apart, looking towards other people for affection and happiness?

The phone buzzed again in her hands.

**Lila (8:21 AM): you read my message like five minutes ago, haha, ik i look good, but don’t spend too long staring ;)**

Marinette’s restraint was inhibited by her emotions, and she found her fingers quickly typing out a message and sending it.

**Me (8:21 AM): don’t ever text this phone again.**

**Lila (8:21 AM): …**

**Lila (8:22 AM): adrien?**

**Me (8:22 AM): no, this isn’t adrien.**

**Me (8:22 AM): this is his wife.**

Marinette looked away from the device as she awaited Lila’s answer, anxiously biting her lip. Should she have waited for Adrien to tell her? Was it even her business?

 _Would_ he even have told her on his own?

Marinette shook her head. Maybe she should have waited for Adrien, but it was still definitely her business. And _of course_ Adrien would have stopped this thing with Lila, especially after last night, after declaring that their marriage would be fixed. Marinette took a deep breath.

Still, she felt bad for letting her emotions overcome her judgement. She had been doing the same exact thing with Nathanaël: flirting with him over text, sending cute pictures of herself, and never telling him that she was married.

_Buzz._

Marinette turned back to Adrien’s phone.

**Lila (8:24 AM): umm… what?**

Marinette paused and took a deep, calming breath before replying.

**Me (8:25 AM): look, lila, i’m sorry. i’m sorry that our marriage sucks and that he led you on because he was excited to get and give affection when i should have been there. we’re working on it. so please, don’t text him again.**

**Lila (8:26 AM): …**

**Lila (8:27 AM): fuck.**

**Lila (8:27 AM): hell, i’m sorry.**

**Lila (8:27 AM): ughhhh, fuck.**

**Lila (8:27 AM): this fucking sucks. i really liked him.**

**Lila (8:28 AM): …**

**Lila (8:28 AM): but if your marriage isn’t working out… then… why don’t you just end it? just... ugh. nvm. this isn’t fucking fair.**

**Lila (8:29 AM): whatever. bye. good luck or whatever.**

Marinette started down at the screen, concluding that it was best not to respond. She bit her lip before deciding to block Lila’s number from Adrien’s phone, just in case. After carefully placing it back on the night stand, she got up and walked to her own phone. She picked it up, reading the notifications.

**Message from Group Chat: The Bread-y Bunch (Friday, 10:45 PM)**

**Message from Nathanaël (Friday, 11:04 PM)**

**Message from Alya (Friday, 11:35 PM)**

**Message from Nathanaël (Saturday, 7:21 AM)**

Marinette sighed and opened up Nathanaël’s texts, one good night and one good morning greeting. That man was so sweet, so kind. He didn’t deserve what Marinette put him through. What should even she tell him?

_Hey, we can’t talk anymore because I’m actually married and have been leading you on because my marriage has been failing and I crave affection?_

Marinette groaned and threw her head back in frustration. That was essentially what she told Lila, but it was so much harder when she was speaking on her own behalf, to the person that she directly wronged. She was embarrassed and, frankly, too ashamed to own up to her actions. Marinette buried her face in her hands before deciding to open up her settings and just blocking Nathanaël’s number.

There.

Everything was solved.

Marinette crawled back into bed, pulling the blankets over her shoulders.

“Marinette?” Adrien grumbled, still half-asleep. “Where’d you go?”

She sighed and inched closer to her husband, allowing him to wrap his arms around her as she rested her head against his bare chest.

“I’ll tell you later. Let’s just sleep for a little while longer now,” Marinette whispered, closing her eyes.

“Okay, bugaboo,” Adrien mumbled back, right before he placed a soft kiss on her forehead that caused her heart to flutter and her body to melt further into his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, the bread-y bunch is marinette's group chat with her parents.  
> and also, this won't be the last time we hear of lila, just like in the series, she never forgives or forgets.  
> and alsoooo, nate will be back too! i can't stay away from that boy lmao.  
> <33 thanks for reading!


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